Royalty [A One Direction AU]

{25} A Flawed Spell

When I wake up again, I'm back in my cell with Daniel standing next to my bed.

"Good, you're finally awake." He says, smirking.

"How long was I out?" I ask, and he laughs.

"Two days. You should see your friends, they're all going crazy about you." He says, and I sigh.

"That's because they care. Something you probably don't have much experience with." Daniel's eyes darken with anger and he grabs my arm, roughly pulling me off of the bed.

"Anyways, back to the torture room!" He says, pulling me to my feet and pushing me out of the room. Someone's being bipolar today.

When we get to the room, I'm greeted by Louis, who grabs my arms and holds me in front of him, his grip stronger than Daniel's.

"You know what to do." Daniel says. Louis puts his hands in the same place as last time, preparing to kill me swiftly. Not very painful, Daniel must really want to get rid of me. "Now!" Daniel yells. Louis' hands tense, and Daniel grins. "Kill him!" He orders, and Louis' grip tightens. I close my eyes, waiting for Louis to snap my neck in two. But it doesn't happen. Instead, I fall to the floor as his hands release me, and I open my eyes to see Louis kneeling next to me, his hands gripping his head as his eyes flash rapidly. There's only three ways to break a control spell. And the last is being forced to kill someone you love.

"Niall!" Louis scream, pain laced through his voice. He suddenly stops moving, his dark eyes staring at me before they close and he falls backward, his head slamming into the floor of the torture room. Daniel watches in shock as I crawl over to Louis, leaning over and pressing my head against his chest. His heart beats as strongly as ever, and I let out a breath. He's not dead, at least, but whose side is he on?

"What happened?" Daniel asks, and Louis groans. He doesn't open his eyes, but I can tell he's awake.

"There are three ways to reverse a control spell. The person who placed the spell removes it, another person sets a stronger spell, or the person under control is forced into a situation that their primary consciousness cannot allow to happen. Usually, it involves killing a loved one." Louis says, still lying on the ground with his eyes closed. "Your mistake was forcing me to kill Niall. Niall is the only thing I have left, Daniel. And I'm afraid that you can't expect me to kill him." Louis' eyes open, back to their light blue color. He smiles, sitting up and looking at Daniel. "Also, one thing the King did before he died was set a special control spell on me. Every time another spell of any kind is set on me, when it's removed the control spell he placed gets stronger. I know very well that I'm a slave, but I'm fine with that because my only task is to protect Niall."

"You... but..." Daniel says, unable to comprehend what's happening. Louis grins, looking at the star on his wrist.

"This star was a mystery to me, because it's always been there, and I never knew why. But now I do. The star is the old symbol of the royal family, marking me. Saying that I belong to them. Showing anyone smart enough to figure it out that I'm forever enslaved to Niall's family. And I'm okay with that. So many times, his family has saved my life. I can live forever, I can't die, but even I have weaknesses, and if you tried hard enough, you could break me. I've been broken before, and I can be broken again. But Niall's family has always brought me back. So even though I'm forced, even if I wasn't I'd still stay by his side. No matter how strong of a control spell you put on me, I'll never hurt a member of the royal family." Louis finishes, opening his arms. I smile, and he wraps them around me, aware that I can't hug him back.

"A slave to another." Daniel says, and Louis frowns.

"You know what's interesting? I remember everything. Every single thing that's happened since I woke up is forever imprinted in my mind. Even when you make me into a slave, I remember everything. I know everything about you, everything you've told me. I know the passcodes to every door in this building. I know where the exits are and how to get to them. And I know that no matter how hard you try, Niall can break those cuffs off just by thinking about it." Louis says, and I smile.

"Are you sure about that?" Daniel challenges, walking towards us. Louis pushes me behind him and Daniel presses his hand to Louis' chest, channeling a control spell into him. Louis winces, his eyes flickering, but he stands tall, and Daniel withdraws his hand in shock. "That shouldn't be possible." He says in disbelief.

"A lot of things about me shouldn't be possible." Louis replies, smirking.

"Get the prince." Daniel says, and hands grab me from behind, pulling me away from Louis. He spins around, and Daniel quickly grabs him, holding him the same way the other Wizard is holding me. "Perform the spell." Daniel orders, and the Wizard starts putting a control spell on me. I gasp as the second consciousness forms, beating against my skull, and I bite my lip. Louis has gone through this pain so many times.

"Niall!" Louis yells, fighting Daniel's grip as the man shakes his head.

"If we can't have you, Tomlinson, His Majesty is the next best thing." Daniel says, laughing. Louis looks at me, and I smile. I concentrate on the Wizard, reversing his spell. The man releases me immediately, his eyes darkening.

"Don't move." I command, looking at the Wizard.

"Yes sir." He replies with no expression.

"What?!" Daniel asks, his eyes widening.

"The control spell is flawed. Unlike any other spell in existence, this spell can be reversed by the person it is being cast on, as long as that person is also a Spellcaster. The reversed spell is much more powerful and because of that it takes effect more quickly." I recite, something I read ages ago when my father was first teaching me about the Spellcasters. Because of the crack in the spell, a Witch could put control over a Sorcerer if the Sorcerer tried to control her. Your Wizard is under my control because I switched his spell around." I explain, looking Daniel in the eyes. Still in his arms, Louis smiles.

"What use do you have in one of my Wizards?" Daniel asks, and I shrug.

"None, really. I just wanted to show you that the control spell is cracked." Daniel frowns, and I smile. "The crack wasn't there at first. It was put in by one of the more recent Kings, perhaps my grandfather, to keep Spellcasters from using it on each other. My family is capable of much more than you think." I say, smiling.

"As am I, Horan. We all have our secrets." Daniel says, and I see the mischievous glint in his eye that makes my heart drop. Daniel knows something that he shouldn't. Something much more dangerous than a flawed spell.